Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-10-01
SOUTHERN SUMMER.

Orlando, Fla Sept. 26th, 1SS7-To the
Press ana Dskotalan: 1t is quite an
undertaking to try to convey to Your
readers a faithful description of what q
summer in Florida is like. There is n
general delusiou on the subject in the
which is embodied in such ex-
as these: COIL ow hot sDd
it ID here, but what must it be in
the gull ~stntesl How can any one live
down there Or agasn: 1T Id SO warm
and belmy in Florida in winter, how in.
tolerebly hot il must be in summerl'
Now this is all nonsense. Ii does not
follow because your thermometers show
q range of 1876 degrees between extremes
of heat and cold in the year, that the
climate on the sea coast has as wide 9
range. This Is q land of equsble tenn
p%erature, and we avoid those great and
injurious changes OF the north.
When the yellow fever scare begun
las. May l was in Tennessee. But bust
ness plans invited me hither and / came
to spend the summer, not loungipg In
hammocks and on cool verandas, but
in severe daily labor, under the nearly
vertical sun, until my new buildings
gave me shelter. The season was GER
tainly uncommonly hot, because the
usual rainy season did not prevail. Dry
weather, hot sun and clear sky we're the
usual conditions. The old settlers ell
grumbled, and had never seer such q
summer. There were enough showers
to keep crops and gardens well moiat-
eped; but the great an overwhelming.
down pour of rain, accompanied by cool,
agreeable days snd nights, was omitted
from the usual seasons programme.
As to the actual heat denoted by the
correct thermometers, l did not once
see it exceed IS degrees. even where ex-
posed to- radical heat. Some thermom-
tiers rose to 100 degrees, but not in situa-
tions required by the signal office rules.
The cooler. rainy evenings showed about
rs degrees. The usual order OF events
on rainy days was Q bright, clear fore
noon, growing hot till ten or eleven,
then clouds owe the sky, good breezes
and great relief from heat, whether there
was much rain or not. Still, many days
were hot and sultry indeed; about ss hot
as l saw it IN Yankton q year ago, and
no worse.
ALI through some OF these sultriest,
clear days In July / had from two to
four men working who had just arrived
IN June from Russian Finland, from q
place within sixty-ive miles of the
Arctic circle. They were strong, will
ing aud generally healthy, stood the
heat as well as any n else, except
negroes, and / think will send for their
families. Their heavy clothing soon
gave way to the llghtest, and they did
splendid work at clearing. grubbing,
fencing and making plank sidewalke.
The general health Of these 5000 peo-
pie wes excellent through the whole
season. 1 questioned several doctors
closely. and could hear of few cases OF
severe sickness, and hardly any deaths
There are more funerals in one month
IN many q small place in the north and
east where / have lived, than I have
been able to hear OF in Orlando since
arrived here June 1st. or those who
died, three or four were hopeless north.
ern invalids, and two or three were
drowned. There were soms miid levers,
but no one with whom | was acquainted
vas taken with fever. There we're not
SO many dangerous cases of fever in
Orlando this summer. in my opinion, as
there we're deaths from scarlet fever in
the little community OF Aten, Nebraska,
eince I was there. 1 have been exposed
in ell sorts of ways but can find no trace
OF malaria in my feelings and have taken
no medicine here whatever. My broth.
er's family had to use more q%uinine pei
week whom living on aprairie in Wiscon.
sin than they have needed here in o year
since they, came here four years ago. My
cousin and his wife moved hither to gel
rid of the chronic malarial fever and
chills acquired by living near Galena,
and succeeded perfectly for three year,
past.
Ny observations here thus far place
Florida superior In regard to health and
safety to every locality ] have ye. re-
sided in. Taking cold Is quite a rare
occurrence here. You may attend q
dozen great public gatherings without
hearing a person cough. People OF all
ages indulge freely in fruits, melons,
guavas, cncumbers and other vegetables,
and have NO cholera morbue. Seili, there
is not much relief obtained by neuralgia
and rheumatic patients.
Tae impression prevails that insects
in q Florida summer are o worst pes.
than the plaques of Egypt. Nothing
could be further from the actual truth,
For instance, I iaw more hsas when
living upon my Yankton lots, every
week in summer, than / have had annoy
me this whole seeson, for the latter mum.
Der is just one. / admit that every dog
and cat here is a complete nursery OF
feas, and it is seldom You SEES . dog
stand quietly on ail tours. They are
generally hard at work scratching, and
always look tired and thin. 1t is down
right cruelty to animals to let them live
such lives. But there is as much annoy